Rocketball Longplay (C64) [50 FPS]
73Developed by John Sinclair and published by IJK Software in 1985.
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Clearly influenced by the the 1975 film "Rollerball", starring James Caan, Rocketball takes the concept of a brutal team sport where players must throw a steel ball into their opponents goal mouth to score points.
The catch, obviously, is that players can trip, punch and foul the opposing team as much as they like; there are no rules in Rocketball!
The player can select from several different teams based on famous cities from around the world. There doesn't appear to be any discernible differences between the teams aside from their colour.
The game starts with a great little "precession" showing the teams skate past the crowd to a rousing anthem prior to the start of the game.
The ball is launched into the arena at high speed and the teams must scramble for control of the ball. The only way to collect the ball is to grab it from the floor by crouching whilst passing over it, which is easier said than done; not only will other players get in your way, but it's possible to trip over the ball.
More often than not, the opposing team will grab the ball and the task at hand is preventing them from scoring. Players can be brought down simply by colliding with one another, but this isn't particularly helpful as your own player will fall over in the process; it does have it's place as tripping the player is preferable to your opponent scoring. It is far more effective to punch the ball carrier as this action won't cause your player to fall, giving him time to capture the ball.
Assuming you do manage to wrestle control of the ball from the opposing team, scoring a goal is never guaranteed. Firstly, you have to remain in possession of the ball long enough to reach the goal, but getting the timing right so that you actually throw the ball into the hole is another matter entirely.
Although the ball can be thrown, it's not possible to pass it to another player. Any player hit by the ball will be knocked out, your own team included; this can be useful if you need to take out an annoying player who is getting to close, but it can easily lose you possession.
The player can only control a single skater on the field at any one time and the game determines which skater this is. The active skater is usually a lighter shade of the colour worn by the team; it's a system that works well and there's never confusion about which skater can be controlled. If the active skater is knocked down then control will instantly switch to the next available team member who happens to be on-screen at the time.
The biggest gripe that I have with game is when you have no team members on screen and you have to wait for one to appear. With no visual indication as to where the players are when the leave the screen, you are left utterly reliant on one of your team appearing on the play-field before the opponent can score.
The graphics might look a bit basic, but there some nice attentions to detail; the way the black stripe on the skater's track-pants changes on each leg as they skate is a nice touch!
Rocketball is a lot of fun to play. Single player is good, although playing against a friend is far better. I have no doubt that Rocketball provided at least some inspiration for Speedball, which would be developed several years later by The Bitmap Brothers.
Rocketball was a firm favourite as a child and, remarkably, still holds up today.
Play ball!
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